Scrumptious Street

Smoky Grilled Eggplant Dip

I spend a lot of time in my cooking classes teaching people to like things they thought they hated.  In most cases, we dislike food because it's been mistreated or otherwise misunderstood  in some way.  Whether it's over-cooked, under-cooked or simply not understood, we can often lose the maximum flavor and deliciousness for food. This is especially true for vegetables. One of the most common examples is eggplant or aubergine.  Even I, as a child, hated eggplant.  But, it can be incredibly delicious, rich and complex.  The trick is knowing what it wants! It wants to be released from its bitterness and appreciated and coaxed to complexity.  Don't we all? 

Here's my favorite variation on an eggplant dip that is just phenomenal.  It's similar to Baba Ghanoush, but is even more mysterious and zippy due to some of the little twists I put into the recipe.  This is my "Smoky Grilled Eggplant Dip", just in time for Summer parties!

It's light but feels rich because of the texture and the wonderful note chili and lemon juice.  It's deeply complex from the smokiness of the eggplant.  And, because there's no trace of bitterness or sliminess that people associate with eggplant, my guests were hard-pressed to identify it at all!  Many thought of hummus, but knew that wasn't right.  To make eggplant delicious you should always purge it of the bitterness (described in recipe below) and roast or grill it to the point of having a little charred flavor. Eggplant loves to be charred!  If you're frying it you must not only purge it but also squeeze it completely dry and then make sure your frying oil is always 350˚F and never lower.  If the oil isn't hot enough and you're frying eggplant, it will absorb way too much of the oil and that's what turns it into a slippery, slimy mess that can be so unappealing.  This recipe skips all of that by grilling it to soft texture with nice charred grill marks. Sorry, I didn't get a picture of that before I spun it through the food processor.

I think it best to serve the dip with some olive oil flat-bread or something more Mediterranean than a simple cracker. I love these Olive Oil Crisp Breads from Spain, and also like the lightly sugared variety as a contrast to the smoky and tangy flavors from the dip. 

 

Yum! Make this for your next party and I'm telling you -- people will love it and be positively stunned that it's eggplant, likely something on their "Top 5 Foods I Hate" list.

Ingredients
Serves 6-8 as snack

1 medium Italian eggplant, sliced in 1/2" slices, purged of bitterness (see below instructions)
1 T. kosher salt
1 hot long red Italian chili pepper
1 T. pine nuts, toasted
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 package olive oil crisp bread or other crispy Mediterranean flatbreads

Method:
1) Slice eggplant and place in large colander. Sprinkle each slice evenly with the kosher salt, making sure the slices are all covered.  Let the colander drain in a sink or over a bowl for 30 minutes.  The salt extracts some of the juices from the eggplant and particularly, the bitterness.  You'll see the liquid that strains out is dark brownish.  That's bitterness you're removing!  Lightly rinse the salt off the eggplant slices and wrap each slice in paper towels and squeeze dry.  Get as much moisture out without damaging the eggplant.  Spread the slices out flat on a cooling rack and let them sit another 30 minutes.

2) Light a grill our stove burner with grill pan and preheat.  Lightly brush a layer of olive oil on the eggplant slices and grill until soft and nicely blackened, about 4-5 minutes each side.  Remove the eggplant from the grill.  In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts until golden brown and fragrant, bout 3-5 minutes.

3) Add the eggplant, red chile pepper and pine nuts to a food processor and pulse into a thick paste. Add in the lemon juice and ground black pepper and puree until smooth.  Taste and adjust any seasoning.  You may need a pinch of salt since the only salt we used was in the purging at the beginning.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, while the processor is running until the dip is soft and creamy. 

4) Scrape the dip into a serving bowl and serve with olive oil crisp bread or flatbreads immediately.

Indonesian Corn Fritters with Sweet-Hot Chili Sauce

Rarely do I cook from another person's recipe and when I do, I often regret it.  When cooking, I have a specific vision in my mind and my tastebuds can "imagine" exactly what the result should be.  Often, if I cook from another person's recipe, the results are not what my culinary imagination craves.  So, I end up tossing it out and starting over, utilizing any new concepts the recipe might have introduced but basically executing on my vision.  It's a good thing I try again, however, because the second-efforts are always much more successful.  Here in San Francisco, I've been incredibly inspired by the fantastic produce available year-round and the plethora of Asian markets.  I've also met some great chefs, one of whom happens to be Malaysian.  I consulted her on this concept and thank her for some great ideas and starting points.  In the end, however, I came up with my own recipe, which still is quite authentic and yet even more flavorful than the other variations I tried.  This is a typical Indonesian street food called Perkedel Jagung, otherwise in English as "Indonesian Corn Fritters".  

I also made my own riff on a sweet and hot chili dipping sauce to accompany the fritters and add great spice, coolness and that addictiveness I always crave from hand-eaten snacks.  It's too bad I didn't photograph the first attempt to show you the difference.  Mr. Scrumptious is always encouraging me to do that, but I'm usually so disgusted by the failed expectations that I don't want to make it permanent.  The first attempt was doughy and dense like a hush puppy and I was craving more moist inside/crispy outside and flatter like a crab cake.  It was poorly seasoned but with overwhelming spice and bite of raw garlic and raw shallots.  Often in my cooking classes I focus a lot on the difference between seasoning and spice.  They are very different things and one should never forgo seasoning for spice.  Otherwise you have bland, hot food that burns but doesn't taste like anything.  Properly seasoned food should taste like the main ingredient and that ingredient should be elevated and showcased.  In this variation of the dish, the corn is that main ingredient and everything else is there to make corn taste deep and fresh I want the layers of flavor to be built from the corn up. Tangy, sweet, crispy, soft and salty all come together for a complex and fantastic celebration of corn at its most exciting, instead of corn as a staple at its most bland.

So here's how I did it and please, if you try this and don't like MY recipe, please let me know!

Ingredients

Serves 4 as appetizer

1 tsp. freshly toasted and ground coriander

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 medium shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. fresh galangal, minced

1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 T. sugar

4 ears fresh sweet corn, kernels cut from cob OR 3 c. frozen corn thawed and squeezed dry

1 T. minced green garlic (now in Farmer's Markets!) or green scallions

1/2 lime juiced and zested

4 T. brown rice flour

1 large egg, beaten

canola oil for frying

For the Sweet-Hot Chili and Cucumber Dipping Sauce (Saus Lado)

4 fresh red Thai chilies, finely sliced

1 clove garlic, sliced lengthwise in four pieces

1 T. seedless English cucumber, minced

1 lime, juiced

3 T. sugar

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. palm vinegar or rice wine vinegar

2 T. ketchup (optional)

2 T. warm water

Method:

1. Make the dipping sauce first so it has time to meld flavors and lose some of the raw taste.  Make sure to leave the garlic in big chunks.  You want the flavor of garlic, but not small pieces of raw garlic to stick to the fritter when you dip.  In a small bowl add the chilies, garlic, cucumber and lime juice.  Stir to cover all veggies with the lime juice.  Add the sugar, kosher salt, rice wine vinegar and ketchup if using.  Go for ketchup if you want a milder and sweeter flavor, leave it out if not.  Stir thoroughly and add in the warm water to thin slightly.  Set aside.

2. In a small skillet toast the coriander seeds and let cool.  Put the coriander, black pepper, shallots, garlic, galangal, ginger, kosher salt and sugar in a small food processor and puree until a smooth paste.  A mortar and pestle is an even better tool for the job if you have one and the inclination to do it manually.

3. In a medium bowl, lightly mash some of the corn kernels with a fork and leave others whole.  This helps create a combination of textures and the mashed corn helps in binding the fritters.   Add in the spice paste mixture and combine well.  Add in the green garlic or scallions and lime zest and lime juice.  Let sit for 20 minutes or so to let the flavors meld.   

4. Add in the rice flour to the corn mixture after sitting a bit and toss thoroughly.  Pour in the beaten egg and stir lightly until well incorporated.

5. In a large skillet, cover the bottom of the pan to 1/4" in high, for a shallow fry.  Turn the heat to medium and when the oil is shimmering hot and sizzling, it's ready.  Drop carefully a large tablespoon of the corn batter into the oil.  You can drop probably 3-5 into a normal sized skillet but do not crowd the pan.  Lightly press each one flat with the back of the spoon.  Fry until the fritters are golden brown on the first side, about 2 minutes and then flip.  Fry the second side until deep golden brown, anothe 2-3 minutes.  Remove fritters from the oil and let drain on a cooling rack with paper towels underneath to catch any excess oil. Repeat in batches.

6.  Serve the fritter while still hot, on a large platter and garnish with chopped chives and lime wedges.  Put the dipping sauce on the side.  Encourage people to give a quick squeeze of lime over the fritters and then dip in the sauce and enjoy!

Wensleydale-Cranberry and Port Wine Glaze Spirals

This holiday season has been incredibly busy for me, more time cooking and teaching and in the kitchen than ever before.  While I regret that my blogging has taken abuse for it, I've really been creating some terrific new dishes.  Sadly, not able to document everything, I'm just going to be sharing the best of the holiday season with you now.  This one, is spectacular! I'd recommend it for all your winter parties, including those for New Year's and even Super Bowl parties.  I tell you, it's a hit!   Here are my "Wensleydale Cheese-Cranberry and Port Wine Glaze Spirals".

I served them in this photo with walnuts that I also candied with the port wine glaze and some plump and lucious Medjool dates.  It is a spectacular and very special hors d'oeuvre that is full of warm and comforting flavors that are very unique and memorable.  

Wensleydale is one of my favorite cheeses from England, that is similar to a mild white cheddar with floral notes and a crumbly texture.  It melts nicely, but not smooth and creamy like a brie.  Rather, it also melts like a cheddar.  Good for an appetizer that you want to retain its shape.   You can usually find it in specialty cheese shops and sometimes, even in your local supermarket.

The port wine glaze recipe I made below is terrific for making candied spiced nuts, particularly walnuts or pecans.  Both times I made the spirals, I made extra for port-wine glaze for the nuts.  I'll give you enough glaze here to do the same.  To make the nuts, you simply toss them in the glaze after it's thick enough to coat a wooden spoon and just short of a caramel consistency.  

For the spirals, I made the glaze first while the puff pastry was defrosting.  Then, the filling.  I used frozen pastry but I think I'm ready to tackle making my own.  Here's how the recipes for the spirals worked out:

Ingredients

Makes about 60-70 spirals

For the Port Wine glaze (includes enough extra to spice nuts):

1 c. good, robust Ruby Port

1 c. fine granulated sugar

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

2 small fresh bay leaves

For the Wensleydale-Cranberry Spirals

1 package or two full sheets of puff pastry, thawed according to package directions

8 oz. fresh Wendsleydale cheese, crumbled

1/4 c. dried cranberries, finely chopped

1/4 c. spiced pecans or walnuts, chopped

1/2 tsp. fresh oregano, finely chopped

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Remove puff pastry from freezer and let thaw according to package directions.  Preheat oven to 400˚F.

2. Make the port wine glaze: In a saucepan, bring all the ingredients for the glaze to a gentle simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Let the wine and spices simmer without stirring and while the sugar melts it will begin to thicken into a glaze.  When the glaze is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, remove from heat.  Pour 1/3 cup of the glaze into a small bowl and set aside.  Use the rest of the glaze to make spiced walnuts or pecans: add the nuts to the saucepan with the port glaze and stir to evenly coat. Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the nuts evenly into a single layer.  Bake for 8-10 minutes in the oven, making sure not to scorch the nuts. (Check at 7 minutes.) Remove pan from oven and let nuts cool completely, then break apart any that are stuck together.  Store in an air-tight container or serve.

3.  In a medium bowl combine the cheese, dried cranberries, oregano, chopped nuts, salt and pepper.  Toss gently with a fork to incorporate.

4. Spread out the thawed puff pastry, and cut each sheet into thirds lengthwise. Most brands (including Pepperidge Farm which is the most common) will have folds in the puff pastry, so you can cut right on the fold line.  One sheet at a time and roll out to 1/8" thickness and a rectangular shape using a loured surface and rolling pin.  Take the reserved port-wine glaze and using a pastry brush, gently brush a light layer of the glaze on the rectangle of the puff pastry.  Leave about 1/4" space on one long side and both short sides of the rectangle. Leave about 1/2" space on one long side of the rectangle.

5. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the glaze, using a spoon to scatter it and your finger to make it even. Make sure to cover it evenly but not too thickly, since you'll be rolling up the pastry.  Also, you will make about 6 of these individual rolls, so try to reserve the proportionate amount of cheese mixture. 

6. Begin at the long end with filling closest to the edge and turn it so it's facing you.  Slowly roll up the dough and filling, taking care to roll evenly and tightly as you go.  Roll until you reach the long end of the dough that has extra space.  Dip your fingers in a small bowl of water and wipe your forefinger along the blank dough.  Seal the pastry into a roll, squeezing any extra air from the edge you sealed with water.

7. Wrap the roll in plastic wrap and immediately refrigerate.  Repeat this process with all of the sections of your pastry.  In most packages you will have two full sheets, which will make six rolled-out rectangles of dough.  Refrigerate all the dough at least an hour before baking and up to one day in advance.  You can also freeze the dough rolls and thaw in the refrigerator the day before you want to bake them off.

8. Preheat oven to 400˚F 30 minutes before you want to bake the spirals.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper and remove the pastry rolls from refrigeration.  Take off the plastic wrap and cut the dough into equal pieces (about 12 per rectangle) that will be a "spiral" when laid on its side. Spread these out evenly on the baking sheets.  Bake each sheet 10-12 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.  Remove from the oven and cool just enough so that you won't burn your mouth, about 5 minutes.  Serve immediately! They go deliciously with champagne!

Cheers and a very Happy New Year to you all!

Tangelo-Coriander Brown Rice Pilaf

I'm still in mundane corporate housing and rarely cooking due to the awful kitchen and equipment.  The fantastic news is that we have found a gorgeous house with the kitchen of my DREAMS, and we'll be moving the second weekend in November.  Be patient, my dear readers.  Things will soon get extra Scrumptious around here!

In the meantime, here's a delightful take on rice pilaf.  This one is terrific for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.  It's healthy, hearty and packed with flavor.  I seasoned it in my own experimental style, using sweet fresh tangelo juice and tangy, spicy coriander.  It was delicious and would go very well with poultry or pork, and you could easily play with the spices, sweetness or tartness a little more.   This is my "Tangelo-Coriander Brown Rice Pilaf."

Ingredients
Makes about 3 cups cooked, 4 servings

1 c. brown rice
2 1/2 c. vegetable stock
1/2 c. fresh squeezed tangelo juice
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 c. shelled fresh green peas
1 fresh apricot, cored and diced
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
1 tsp. ground coriander
2 T. chopped raw almonds

Method:

1. In a 3 qt. saucepan, combine rice, salt, vegetable stock and tangelo juice.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover tightly with a lid and simmer for 25 minutes.

2. Add pepper, peas, apricot, coriander and taste for salt, possibly adding a little more, depending on the stock you used.  Stir throughly and cover again, let simmer another 20-25 minutes until the rice is cooked but with a nice toothsome texture.

3. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 2 minutes.  Remove lid, stir in chopped almonds and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Wimbledon Frittata Muffins

No, I wasn't at Wimbledon, but I am a huge tennis fan and this year was a fantastic tournament.  Sunday's Gentlemen's Singles Final match was truly epic and I had a conundrum:  it was on in New York starting 9 a.m. EDT and by mid-match we were hungry but glued to the television.  So, in an effort to make a meal we could eat in front of the TV (a CARDINAL SIN at Scrumptious Street ha ha for those who clicked that link) I tried out something new.  Here is a photo of my "Frittata Muffins".

I almost didn't post this, but Mr. Scrumptious lovingly reminded me that not all delicious food must be beautiful and that an idea that's perfectly executed in my mind but less than perfect in reality doesn't have to remain a secret.  Wise man, that Mr. Scrumptious.

The idea was that I'd have a frittata taste and style, but poured into muffin tins so that it would be puffy, airy and light and we could eat with our hands.  As they were progressing, I kept getting more and more excited, because they did EXACTLY what I thought and hoped they would.  After several minutes of baking they browned and then puffed up, just like muffins do so that there was a beautiful dome on top.  I watched through the light and never opened the door and saw them becoming crispy, golden and the perfect model of a frittata muffin.  I squealed in delight and triumph.  When they were finished, I removed them and set them on the counter, ready to position my camera.  And promptly, quietly, without warning and by the time I'd turned around, they had collapsed.  As did my excitement and demeanor.  Alas, I should have realized that for my idea to work, I needed to treat them as a soufflé.  And, I thought I was so clever by placing the muffin tin in the oven while it was preheating so that the tin would be hot when I poured in the egg, so they'd get brown even on the bottom, like a regular frittata. That part did work great!
   
I was ready to hide them away from you all in shame, when Mr. Scrumptious reminded me that not everything has to be perfect and that sometimes sharing the mistakes is good too.  We can all learn from this one, including the fact that eggs are infinitely delicate, even though they seem robust.  It all depends on how you treat them.  So, I should have tried it by separating the yolks and vigorously whisking the whites and adding it all so slowly.  But, in my haste not to miss anything good in the match, it didn't occur to me until too late.

Nevertheless, here is the recipe.  I will surely try them again and see if I can get them to stay aloft.  My solution to the problem was to serve them in lettuce "cups" with a light mustard vinaigrette dressing.  It turned out to be spectacular.  So, even though not perfectly executed, delicious and pretty in its own rustic way, I guess.

Ingredients:
Makes 6 "muffins"

4 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1 T. minced fresh herbs, lemon thyme and tarragon from my herb garden here
1 oz. diced provolone cheese
1/4 tsp. dried mustard
2 scallions, white part only
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 white asparagus spear from a jar
butter lettuce leaves for eating

Dijon vinaigrette:
1/2 lemon, squeezed for juice
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil, streamed in
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Brush the cups of a muffin tin with olive oil and place a muffin tin in the oven and preheat to 400˚F.
2.  Mince the herbs, cut the asparagus into about 8 chunks and chop the cheese.  Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and mustard in a liquid measuring cup with spout.  Stir in the herbs and cheese.
3. When oven is preheated, pour the egg mixture directly into the muffin tin cups. Spread the asparagus into two of the muffin tin cups.
4. Place muffin tin in the oven and bake 14-15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Make the vinaigrette and toss the lettuce leaves in the dressing.
5. Remove the muffin tin from oven and let the "muffins" cool slightly until you can run a knife around the edge and scoop them out with a spoon.  Place in the lettuce leaves and eat immediately.

By the way, even if I had done them like a soufflé, I still would likely have only gotten 3-4 minutes before they collapsed.  C'est la vie.

 

Anyway You Like 'Em Pannekoek (pancakes)

Mr. Scrumptious and I revere Pannekoek.  Literally translated, they mean "pan cakes" and are South African from Dutch roots, of course.  They are like crêpes when sweet, also very much like galettes when savory, but are not made of buckwheat flour.  They are like thin pancakes (not flapjacks) or German Pfannkuchen.  No matter the language, the country or the filling, there is something immensely satisfying, comforting and delicious about making a bowl of light and airy batter which you can turn into a soft and delicate snack, meal, appetizer or entree filled with your favorite savory stuffings.  Or your favorite sweet accents for desserts.

The sheer magnitude of variations left up to your imagination and edible wares and stores?  Bliss!!  This is not something I grew up making in my family.  This is not something my parents grew up making in their families.  In the States, it's usually pancakes or flapjacks, which mean thick and heavy and topped with butter, syrup or fruit.  These little babies are delicate and light, really meant to ensconce whatever beauty or treasure you tuck inside or eat with them. 

Mr. Scrumptious grew up eating these, as basic as flapjacks to kids from the States and his family always dusted them with cinnamon and sugar.   When I lived in Germany for a couple of years, I had them with sprinklings of confectioner's sugar and squeezes of fresh lemon juice.  Trust me, that's AMAZING.  So, a few months ago on a Sunday night we decided to make them.  We had so much fun standing at the stove together, making the pannekoek one at a time and eating them right there standing over the counter.  We'd make one and dust it with cinnamon and sugar, split it in half and each have a piece.  The next one would be confectioner's sugar and lemon we'd cut in half and share.  And Repeat.  We did this for nearly an hour.  We had so much fun, loving the intimacy, the playfulness and the simplicity of the delicious food. 

A couple of weeks ago we both got the craving again and decided this time we'd document it for the blog.  We also made a savory version, with mushrooms, leeks, basil and pinenuts.

Oh, it is so joyful to make these, to stuff or accent as you wish and to share them with someone you love.   There are few expressions of love that are quite as simple and powerful as making food together and feeding each other by hand.  Unfortunately, I only photographed the food, we didn't get any feeding shots.  Probably best.

Our recipe, however, is from an Afrikaans cookbook.  That means it's only in metric system and I'm translating as I go.  You may want to find an imperial version out there.  Otherwise, pull out your handy kitchen scale that converts between metric and imperial and you're all set.

Pannekoek Recipe:
Makes 8-10 large pancakes

250 ml flour
1 ml baking powder
2.5 ml (1/2 t.) salt
250 ml milk
2 small eggs
cinnamon-sugar if desired

Method:

1. Add flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and stir with a spoon to mix.  Put in the milk and eggs and whisk until very smooth and the lumps are gone from the batter.  Whisk genty, you don't want to make the batter stiff, just light and fully mixed.

2. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  Letting it stand for at least 4 hours is better, it helps make the batter fluffier.

3. Heat a large non-stick skillet over low-medium heat and add nonstick spray or a little margarine, depending on your preference.  Pour a very thin layer of batter in the pan when hot and tilt the pan to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.  Wait a couple of minutes until the first side is golden brown and comes free of the pan.

4. If you're Mr. Scrumptious, pull the skillet off the stovetop, turn sideways, stick out your tongue in concentration and toss the pannekoek in the air, flipping with your wrist and making it land on the opposite side.  Giggle whether success or failure at this point.  Cook the other side until very light brown and then slide onto a plate.

5. Dust your sweet topping of choice or fill with a savory stuffing of your choice and roll the pannekoek up into a long, thin tube.  Eat directly or cut in half and mouth-feed your loved one.

6. Repeat until you've eaten every last bite and don't wipe that smile off your face for the rest of the day!

We had three varieties: 1) cinammon and sugar 2) powdered sugar and lemon juice and 3) mushroom, leeks, basil and pinenuts with a tomato-garlic-cream dipping sauce.  On the savory ones, I did lightly saute the mushrooms and leeks first and used toasted pinenuts.  I left the basil raw for maximum flavor.  I didn't note the measurements for any of the fillings.  Just use your tastebuds and your judgement and you'll be fine. Have fun!

Scrumptious Tea Time

Some Sundays, I make a full-on feast and other days I just want to relax and spend quiet time with Mr. Scrumptious. On those days, one of our favorite rituals is late afternoon tea.

This weekend after cleaning up the brunch dishes, Mr. Scrumptious came into the kitchen to find me busy with the bowls and pans and pulling ingredients from the pantry.  He smiled gently and asked "What are you making?" I replied, "Mini Banana Pecan Muffins" and he laughed, saying "The smell of overripe bananas got you, didn't it?"  Indeed.  I spied two ripe and browning bananas and knew they were bound to be the snickey snack for our afternoon tea. 

I used a pretty standard banana and pecan bread recipe but added a couple of my unique touches.  We bought the tea set you see in the photos at a great store here in New York called Subtle Tea and since the set is so festive and whimsical I decided to do mini muffins instead of a bread.  Actually, I did 24 muffins and a small loaf of bread since I still had some extra batter after filling the cups.  I used the mini silicone baking cups for the first time and loved them! I should have bought 36 of them, however.  I'll be writing them up over on one of my other blogging gigs.  If you happen to live in New York, I heart this tea shop! They have incredible quality and mixes available.

Here's my recipe for the "Mini Banana, Pecan and Ginger Muffins".

Ingredients:
Makes 36 mini muffins or about 18 small muffins

2 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1/4 c. whole milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 c. sugar
1 medium egg
1/2 c. salted butter
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. pecans, toasted and chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 360˚Farenheit.  Place the bananas in a medium bowl and mash.  Add the milk, vanilla extract and ground ginger and continue mashing and stirring until thoroughly mixed and the consistency of very thick soup.

2. In a large bowl cream together the sugar, egg and butter making a smooth and even consistency. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.

4. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and mix evenly with a wooden spoon, stopping as soon as the flour is incorporated.  Add one-half of the banana mixture and stir gently.  Repeat with the remaining flour and banana and stir only until it's all incorporated.  Do not overmix this batter or the muffins will be dense and chewy instead of light.  Add the chopped pecans and fold in gently. 

5. If using the silicone muffin cups, you don't need to prepare them, you'll simply fill them and place them on a baking sheet.  If using regular or small muffin tins, grease thoroughly.  Fill the muffin cups of choice to a level just below the rim, a little over 2/3 full.

6. Bake the muffins until golden brown, springy to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean.  The length of time will depend upon your muffin cups.  My mini silicone cups took 16 minutes.  Small muffin tins would take about 20-25 minutes and large muffins would probably take 30-35 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven when done and set the baking sheet on a cooling rack for a few minutes.  Move the muffins to the rack directly and let cool completely before removing the silicone muffin cup.  Serve and enjoy!

These are delicate, moist and the classic combination of bananas and pecans works so well as always.  The vanilla and ginger give them a more balanced flavor but I promise I haven't used so much  that they taste of ginger.  They do not, it simply has a deeper flavor and it goes extremely well with the light and floral flavor of the rooibos tea we drank.  Sunday tea is such a treat when it's done with love.

Scrumptious New Year

Happy New Year to all my Scrumptious Street readers! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and you either escaped the temptation to over-indulge or you're mature enough that the guilt of doing so doesn't bother you!

We held our inaugural New Year's Eve party this year and had a blast with some of our closest friends.  Since it's a time of year when everything can be hectic and normally over-scheduled New Yorkers become frantic, it was a relaxing celebration with some seriously cool people.  Thanks to all our guests for ringing in 2007 with us and hopefully next year even more people can make it. 

We'd only arrived back in town the night of December 30, so the food was on the light and simple side.  I didn't keep track of any recipes, but you see some photos here and it was really a cocktail party rather than a dinner party.

The food included:
* Artichoke and Red Pepper puree served in artichoke heart bottoms
* My own Guacamole
* My newly invented Pink Peppercorn Parmesan dip -- I'll do a separate posting on this, it was DELICIOUS
* Rosemary Olive Bread with Goat Cheese
* Shropshire Blue Cheese with Ruby Port Glaze and Spiced Walnuts
* Thanks to my shopping spree at Buon Italia, a phenomenal cured meats and cheeses antipasto platter including Proscuitto San Daniele with cantaloupe, Bresaola with ruby-red grapefruit, spicy Sopressata, sweet Sopressata, Provolone, Fontina, Parmigiano-Reggiano and a spectacular sour cherry preserve as the perfect topping for the cheeses.  It went especially well with the provolone.

We also had plenty of libations for our snickey snacks and gnoshes since the wine rack at Scrumptious Street is always full.  We had champagne and prosecco, as well as some gorgeous wine.  I was in the mood to play bartender, since the cooking was so easy, so I made a couple of terrific cocktails.  One is my own pomegranate martini, with a shot of vodka, a splash of Rose's sweetened lime juice and a shot of pomegranate juice.  Shake in martini shaker and garnish with a slice of lime.  The second and truly phenomenal cocktail was from Food & Wine's website, the Rosemary Gin Fizz.  It was fantastic! And, I am a professed anti-gin drinker! Make sure to make the rosemary syrup too.  Wow.  I was paying for too many of these the day after...

May you all have a happy, healthy and inspiring year and I wish you a life of personal fulfillment and wonder at life's surprises.  All the best in 2007 to you!

Snickey-Snacks Macadamia Style

I have always played with words, invented them and found language to be an endless source of entertainment and amusement.  Somewhere when I was growing up, I made up the word "snickey" and began to use it as an adjective with the noun snacks to describe some very tasty and playful little morsel.  Snickey-snacks.  I made this word up so long ago that now I don't remember exactly when; it is so natural that sometimes I forget it's a Stephanie word and not a dictionary word.  My Dad sometimes uses this phrase.  Mr. Scrumptious definitely has adopted this phrase.  The term snickey-snacks represents the sense of joy and fun that comes with not really going through the effort of a meal but popping something small, simple and delicious into your mouth.  Sometimes I don't want food, or a meal, or to dine.  I just want a really awesome snickey-snack.

Recently a colleague was feeling a little dejected and upset.  I know that she loves macadamia nuts and on the way out the door from work one night I stopped by her office and said, "Name an ingredient.  The first thing that comes to your mind."  Her immediate reply was "nutmeg".  My self-proclaimed mission, which I chose to accept, was to make up a snickey-snack using macadamia nuts and nutmeg to take into the office for her next day.  These simple, fun and comforting "Spiced Macadamia Nuts" were my result, and my own snickey-snack created just for her.  She liked them and this also fits well with some of the holiday themes we're thinking about these days.

Ingredients:
Serves 4

6 oz. roasted macadamia nuts
1/3 c. valencia orange juice, freshly squeezed and strained of pulp, about 1 1/2 oranges
6 tsp. turbinado sugar
1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
2 tsp. fresh shredded, unsweetened coconut

Method:
Preheat oven to 380˚ F.  Line a baking sheet or rimmed jelly roll with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Place a small skillet over moderate heat and toast the macadamia nuts in the skillet until they begin to dry out and turn a light golden brown color.  Remove from heat and spread the nuts flat on the rimmed baking sheet or jelly-roll pan to cool slightly. 

Wipe out the skillet and add the orange juice strained of all pulp and seeds and the turbinado sugar.  Return the skillet to low heat and melt the juice and the sugar so that it combines into a simple syrup.  Add the nutmeg and use a wooden spoon to stir and combine the ingredients and allow the syrup to thicken.  When the syrup thickly coats the back of the wooden spoon but before it gets sticky, add the macadamia nuts back to the syrup in the skillet.  Quickly turn the nuts around in the pan, coating them evenly with syrup.  Drop the nuts onto the prepared baking sheet or pan, spreading out into an even single layer so they aren't touching one another.  Sprinkle the nuts with fresh shredded coconut. 

Bake at 380˚F for five minutes.  Remove from the oven and let nuts cool completely.  Snack to your heart's content.